Moonlight chief pushes Vista theater to new heights

In a short period of time, Steve Glaudini’s bold vision has given Moonlight Stage Productions a big boost in ticket sales and prestige

Steve Glaudini, the new artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions, talks to actors as they rehearse a scene from "My Fair Lady" at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista. Glaudini stage directed the production playing through Aug. 30 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre.
Hayne Palmour IV

Steve Glaudini, the new artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions, talks to actors as they rehearse a scene from "My Fair Lady" at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista. Glaudini stage directed the production playing through Aug. 30 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre.

6  Just 18 months after Steve Glaudini took the helm of Moonlight Stage Productions, the city of Vista not only named him Manager of the Year but also declared March 12 Steve Glaudini Day.

In less than two years, the 45-year-old Orange County native has produced one record-breaking show after another, revived season subscriptions, developed a growing family audience and made Moonlight the go-to spot for spectacular productions of modern musicals like “Young Frankenstein” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”

The busy producer/artistic director (who also acts and directs) said he’s gratified by how quickly North County has embraced his vision.

“To see the growth so rapidly is thrilling,” Glaudini said. “I think audiences were hungry for something new. It’s like they’d been in the desert for 30 years and they got this water.”

Back in 2011, the year before Glaudini was hired, total sales for the summer season at Moonlight Amphitheatre were 42,000. Last year, they climbed to 50,000. And this summer, they cracked the 50,000 mark before the season’s halfway mark. Last month’s "Mary Poppins" is the 33-year-old company’s all-time box office champ, with more than 20,000 tickets sold for its 13 performances alone, according to Moonlight spokesman Fred Tracey.

Glaudini’s meteoric rise comes as no surprise to Kathy Brombacher, the founding chief of Moonlight, who hand-picked Glaudini as her successor before her retirement in 2012.

“He’s achieving everything I hoped he would and I knew that he could,” Brombacher said. “His standards are very high. There is great respect for him all over the theatrical community in Southern California. He’s a wonderful collaborator and a great communicator.”

‘The risk paid off’

Glaudini first came to the Moonlight in 1996 as an actor (he played henchman Smee to Randall Hickman’s Captain Hook in “Peter Pan”) and later a director. In the ensuing years, he has broadened his résumé as the producing director of both Musical Theatre West in Long Beach and Performance Riverside. He also spent two years as an Equity agent, where he says he learned how to negotiate deals.

“When I was an agent, my partner gave me one piece of advice: ‘It’s not a mystery novel; if you want something, just ask,’ ” Glaudini said.

That’s how Glaudini has been able to broker discount deals for sets and costumes from Broadway, Madison Square Garden and national touring productions. And it has also helped him score some notable casting coups.

Brombacher is back on the Moonlight stage this month for the first time in 21 years as Mrs. Higgins in "My Fair Lady," which Glaudini directed. And in June, Glaudini lured Sean Murray to play King Arthur in “Spamalot” (Murray seldom performs outside his own Cygnet Theatre in San Diego). And that’s not all. Glaudini’s longtime best friend Eric Anderson — now a Broadway veteran of “Rocky,” “Kinky Boots,” “Soul Doctor” and “South Pacific” — could soon make a long-overdue return to the Moonlight stage (where he was a staple in the 1990s).

Director Steve Glaudini, the new artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions, and actress Hilary Maiberger, playing Eliza Doolittle, share a laugh during rehearsal of a scene from "My Fair Lady" at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista.
Hayne Palmour IV

Director Steve Glaudini, the new artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions, and actress Hilary Maiberger, playing Eliza Doolittle, share a laugh during rehearsal of a scene from "My Fair Lady" at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista.

Moonlight may be on a high this summer, but not so long ago it was struggling under recession-related city cutbacks. In 2011, the four-show summer season included two small four-actor shows (“Forever Plaid” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes”). Not only were they box office duds, but they also turned off many subscribers. Renewals fell 17 percent in 2012, said Dan Kays, managing director of Vista’s cultural arts department.

“What this told us is that Moonlight audiences want huge productions with story and heart and Broadway sets and costumes,” Glaudini said. “The challenge for us was, can we do something outside the box, and will the audience who has been here for 33 years come along? It was a risk … and fortunately the risk paid off.”

‘We’re enjoying the ride’

While Brombacher tended to program more conservatively for the mostly older subscriber base, Glaudini decided to break the mold with a mix of children’s shows like last season’s megahit “The Wizard of Oz” and next season’s “Shrek” and adult-themed shows like last season’s “The Who’s Tommy” and next season’s “Big Fish.”

In years past, a Moonlight performance might draw 1,000 to 1,200 patrons. This summer, audiences haven’t dropped below 1,300 and even topped 2,000 a night for shows like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Mary Poppins.” To secure good lawn seats, patrons are now lining up nearly eight hours before showtime, and subscriptions have almost completely rebounded to their pre-recession level.

Ticket sales have also been brisk for some one-night fundraising events this year. A sold-out concert by the Midtown Men, featuring four stars from the Broadway production of “Jersey Boys” (including San Diego native Christian Hoff), raked in $40,000 last month. And this month, a sold-out “Tea With Mary Poppins” drew 102 children, parents and grandparents.

Kays said working with Glaudini has been a pleasure because he brought in a deep understanding of producing, a background in scenery rental, knowledge about the touring industry, and a vast network of contacts around the country.

“What I really enjoy is that we are looking so far down the road to make decisions two to three years ahead and plan in a more manageable way,” Kays said. “That way we can budget more appropriately and promote it better. And I like that once his decision is made, he sticks to it.”

Moonlight employees describe Glaudini as a genial, supportive and hardworking boss who can relate to everyone because at some point in his career, he’s had all of their jobs. Glaudini said his typical workday is 11 to 12 hours long, usually starting around 1 p.m. and lasting into the wee hours. He lives just a few miles from Moonlight’s production office with his wife of 19 years, actress Bets Malone, a Vista native who grew up on the Moonlight stage. They co-starred together as Mr. and Mrs. Banks in “Mary Poppins,” a rare double-act, since Malone is usually in great demand at theaters around the country.

Glaudini said he has no desire to leave Moonlight and Vista, not only because it’s his wife’s hometown but because the city, donors and subscribers have given him such a strong vote of support. He’s now at work with Kays planning the 2016 season and the only “bucket-list goal” he has left is to produce a musical someday that goes to Broadway.

“I’m having so much fun right now,” he said. “We’re trying lots of things and, knock wood, most have been successful. We’ll have our ups and downs, but we’re enjoying the ride.”